We all know the discomfort we feel when we watch someone put his incompetence on public display for all to see. And so it is as we watch the terrible events in Ukraine evolve. Putin just keeps slapping Obama upside the head and then openly ridiculing him. Kerry’s solemn pronouncements, as if he had a clue, just add to the pathetic performance of the Obama administration.

I just can’t watch it anymore, both because it represents national humiliation and because of the gravity of the stakes involved.

Putin is doing what power hungry nationalists have done since the time of Cyrus the Great of Persia … they sniff out weakness and lack of resolve and then they move to exploit them. The Iranian Mullahs and Chinese autocrats are marching in stride.

We are not in a magical new era of civilized human behavior. The nature of man has not changed. If a city dissolves its police force, gangs of thugs will take over.

The world stage is no different except that the thugs are more sophisticated and have substantially greater resources. But even more important is the degree of destruction we risk. A worldwide conflagration is not out of the question.

Less than one percent of Americans alive today directly experienced the destruction of World War II. Our psyche has been forged by luxury. We have returned to the innocence of the America that preceded World War I and II.

It has taken just two decades since the supposed end of the Cold War to become oblivious to the threats posed by authoritarian dictators. Obama personifies our blindness and is leading the world along a path to destruction.

If Obama had a spine and understood or appreciated American values, what might he do to recover our standing in the World and restore our security in the face of current world threats? The easy answer is to reverse practically every foreign policy he has promulgated. But let me be more specific.

Second, make it abundantly clear that the U.S. will defend its interests, including honoring its alliances.

Third, immediately begin rebuilding our military deterrent, strategic and tactical, and insist that our buildup be mirrored by our allies … the free ride enjoyed by our allies is over. Cancel the planned cuts in our defense budget and replace it with a 10-15 percent increase. Slash welfare state and government employment to compensate.

Fourth, invite what remains of the Ukraine into NATO and position U.S. and NATO military assets to send a real message to Putin regarding future military adventures.

Fifth, end the charade of nuclear talks with Iran and issue an ultimatum regarding the dismantling of their nuclear enrichment program. Destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities and any supporting military assets should follow if the ultimatum is ignored.

Sixth, develop a longer term strategy for eliminating the dictatorships in Cuba, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela.

Seventh, rebuild our economy by returning to an honest, free-market system, including the rapid elimination of the stultifying regulatory/welfare state with urgent attention to eliminating the barriers to energy development.

Eighth, use the rapid growth of America’s energy sector to eliminate the blackmail practiced by Putin and the Arabs.

If we don’t adopt a plan substantially consistent with this philosophy, we will continue to face a very dangerous world and the probable end of our comfortable existence.

My eight-point program is designed to substantially reduce the threats America faces from expansionist autocrats like Putin. Key portions of this plan focus on increasing the credibility of the free world’s military forces so that aggression can be deterred. Remember, the number one reason to have a strong military is to avoid the horrors of war, not to engage in them.

A key part of the suggested plan focuses on revitalizing our free market economy. Despite the current malaise caused by the Marxist policies pursued by the Obama administration, I am convinced America has a pent up appetite and capacity for amazingly rapid growth. It merely needs a clear signal that private property, and that includes profits, will be respected and legally protected.

Developing our energy resources is a critical element of the plan so that neither we nor our allies can be blackmailed by Putin. Currently, Europe is heavily dependent on Russia for both oil and natural gas. Russia has the upper hand now, thanks to the short-sighted policies of Obama and his European counterparts, but it needn’t remain that way.

Technology breakthroughs in the U.S. and Canada give us an opportunity to checkmate Russia’s energy blackmail strategy. We should make it an emergency national priority to expand North American energy production on all fronts: Oil, natural gas and coal … including construction of LNG facilities for exporting natural gas.

The very declaration of such a national commitment will give Putin pause and Europe hope for relief. If we fail to do so, Europe will wilt under Russian threats and we will face an increasingly dangerous world … alone.

Unfortunately, nearly three more years of an America-hating, empty suit in the White House may be just what Putin needs to cement his victory and our demise.

January 21, 2017 cannot come soon enough for the safety of the free world.

Dr. Charles Ormsby served two terms on the North Andover School Committee, co-founded of the North Andover Taxpayers Association, is a a co-founder of and columnist for The Valley Patriot, broadcasts weekly opinion pieces for WCAP (980 AM) in Lowell, and is a faculty member in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Dr. Ormsby is a graduate of Cornell and has a doctorate degree from MIT. You can email him at ccormsby@verizon.net

Chuck, I recommend you do something about this right away. Since you have such a blood lust and believe violence solves world problems, please rush to your local recruiter and join the marines. I’m sure they would appreciate one more good man,
What’s that?
Oh you only want others to die for “principle” …. yeah, that’s what i thought.
To believe Obama isnt savvy is to have completely ignored the last two election cycles …. He and his people are ruthlessly savvy.
But since violence failed miserably in Iraq and Afhganistan, with 5,000 American heroes dying for nothing … two countries worse off than when they started ….pretty sure there are better ways to solve this issue than threats, saber rattling or starting World War 3.

Simple newsflash … Putin has no desire to take over the world.
Does he want to reconfigure the USSR? Maybe.
But that is NOT worth starting a World War over.

As Republicans so eleoquently said when Bill Clinton sent troops into Bosnia ..”The United States is NOT the policeman of the world.”